Night Shift
by RobSp1derp1g
Summary: During the Kalos League, Ash-Greninja suffers a hard blow to his chest, causing Ash to pass out. SatoSere. AmourShipping SLIGHTLY EDITED.


**Hey, guys, It's your favorite writer, me, RobSp1derp1g!**

 **Today, I bring you guys something I've never done before. A fic that's not written to make you laugh. So much so, that I don't think has a category for it.**

 **Well, here goes…**

 **Oh, Small disclaimer: This fic mentions medical stuff that I have no idea if are actually real. I'm not a doctor, have almost no knowledge about medicine, and WebMD would almost say that a simple flu is a deadly disease.**

 **EDIT: I EDITED THIS FIC TO REMOVE ALL TRACES OF A PHYSICAL OR METAPHORICAL HEART ATTACK. CALL IT A RETCON, IF YOU WILL.**

 **So, enjoy, please.**

Worry filled her entire self. Both her and her sibling friends were flabbergasted at what had occurred. When the day started, none of the three of them would have thought that their day would end with them on the medical bay of the Lumiose Conference... But then again, neither would have Ash.

Ash has been relying on Greninja's new forme, dubbed Ash-Greninja by Bonnie, to win the battles of the League, but that takes a toll. In this new form, whenever Greninja takes damage, Ash feels it too, and that was proven to be a bit too much in this case.

During a particularly complicated match, Greninja took a hard blow to the right side of his chest, causing Ash to wince in pain. He fell to his knees almost immediately, unable to stand. Concerned about her friend, Serena immediately got up from her seat and tried to help him, but was barred by a staff member, who was not aware of what was taking place behind him. It was only when the PA system announced that Ash's match had been cancelled due to Ash's condition, that the staff member let Serena through, who ran all the way to where Ash was, already in a stretcher heading to the medical bay.

There was nothing the trio could do but wait. All of their friends, even Team Rocket in a costume, took the time to visit Ash, who was plugged into a machine which measured his heartrate.

Some time later, a nurse approached them.

\- "Excuse me, are you with Ash Ketchum?" The nurse questioned.

\- "Yes, we're his friends. How is he?" Serena replied with a question of her own.

The nurse took a look at Serena's face and saw that she was one inch away from crying.

\- "He's going to be fine. Don't worry." The nurse reassured the group, who collectively sighed in relief. "We're keeping him here for the night for observation, but he's going to be fine."

\- "But what happened to him?" Clemont asked, his little sister nodding in curiosity.

\- "Exaustion, simple as that." The nurse noted. Serena looked at Ash through the window.

\- "Exaustion?" Clemont repeated. "That didn't look like exaustion to me..."

\- "No, it didn't, because if he didn't get hit in the chest, he would have collapsed at the end of the match." The nurse explained. "he would have fallen to his knees, have a some trouble breathing and standing up for a few minutes, but that would have been it."

\- "But what exactly happened?" Bonnie chimed in.

\- "It appears that whatever happened caused him intense pain, making him faint." The nurse looked over at Serena, whose eyes were starting to water, and explained further. "But don't worry, he's totally fine."

\- "He is?" Serena asked, as sheddried her eyes.

\- "Yeah, we've ran some tests, and there seems to be nothing broken, no organs out of place, everything seems to be normal." The nurse explained. "Also, we've talked to Professor Sycamore and he told us that he theorizes that while in Ash-Greninja, Greninja's pain is also felt by Ash."

\- "Yeah, that's what happens." Clemont replied.

\- "Well, there you go, you've got nothing to worry about." The nurse reassured the group.

Serena turned back to the window facing Ash's room. She could only utter one word before the tears started streaming down her face... "Ash..."

"Nurse Florence, please report to the Emergency Room. Nurse Florence, please report to the Emergency Room." The PA system called.

"I have to go. Will you be okay?" Nurse Florence asked.

"We'll be fine, thank you." Clemont confirmed.

Every few seconds, someone walked past the group. The entire population of Kanto and Johto combined must have walked past them. Still Serena did not move a single muscle. All she could do was stare powerlessly through the window of Ash's room and watch as the machine beeped in sync to Ash's heartbeat.

A few hours later, Serena spoke.

"Clemont, what time is it?" Serena asked.

"About midnight. I didn't realize it was this late, actually."

"Why don't you go back to the hotel and put Bonnie to bed?" Serena queried.

"But you can't stay here..." Clemont raised his head.

"I'll just be here for a while." Serena assured the gym leader. "If you can, though, go through the Pokémon Center and collect Ash's Pokémon. Let them know he'll be fine and that they can visit him tomorrow, okay?"

"Serena, can I ask you something?" Serena nodded and Clemont continued. "Since the nurse told us that Ash will be fine, you haven't yet stopped looking at him. Maybe it's me reading too much into it, but your body language is very similar to that of someone who's got a crush..."

Serena gulped. Had her feelings been caught? Had she finally been told what she was feeling? In a fraction of a second, Serena thought of all the excuses she could use on the gym leader, to get him off her case.

"You know what? Don't mind what I said. I'm getting sleepy, and I can't think straight." Clemont apologized.

As Clemont got up, picked Bonnie up and was about to leave, Serena decided she should tell the truth.

"You're right." Serena admitted.

"About what?"

"About me having a crush on Ash, you're right. I've had it ever since we were kids." Serena confessed.

Clemont smiled. He had suspected it for a while, but couldn't find a way to make sure Serena had feelings for their friend.

"I know the feeling." Clemont chuckled. "There was this girl, here in Lumiose, with whom I was very close. But she had to move, she's back home in Hoenn. Goodness, I miss her."

"Miss... keep my brother... s'il vous plaït..." Bonnie mumbled, oblivious to the world outside her dream.

"I wish she did, Bonnie..." Clemont smiled and Serena followed suit. They needed that little spark of normalcy, however brief it was.

"I'm going to the hotel, try not to stay too long." Clemont warned Serena.

"I will, see you tomorrow." Serena said goodbye to her friend.

A few minutes passed when the nurse returned.

"Oh my, you haven't left yet? Sweetie, you must be tired!" Nurse Florence asked after seeing Serena lean against the glass, looking into Ash's room.

"I am, but I don't want to leave him. What would he think if he woke up all alone in the middle of the night?" Serena interjected.

Nurse Florence was about to argue, but then she remembered: that was similar to how she met her husband.

She took a key from her pocket and opened the door to Ash's door. "I don't know why we keep these doors locked, to be honest." She said with a smile, trying to make the girl laugh, even if slightly.

"Grab a confortable chair, and sit beside him. My experience says he'll like it." The nurse suggested.

"Thank you, nurse." Serena bowed.

"Is he related to you?" Nurse Florence queried.

"No, but have known each other since we were kids." Serena answered.

"You must really love him, to wait for him like this." Nurse Florence commented. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be intruding in other people's affairs."

"Is it that obvious?" Serena asked.

"It's not that it's obvious, it's more like experience. I see a lot of people like you. And they all share one common thread, they have strong feelings towards the person on the bed."

'Strong feelings?' Serena thought.

"I'm sorry, my shift has ended. I have to go now. But don't worry, tomorrow, he'll be good as new. Good night."

Serena was having a mental discussion with herself. Was it possible that she had "strong feelings", as Nurse Florence put it, for Ash? Yes, it was true that he's the reason that made her start her journey. He was the reason she had found the dream of Performing, he's the reason she was always so optimistic. But most of all, he is the reason why she's herself.

Looking at Ash's hand on the bed, Serena had no logical though, and covered his left hand with both of hers.

"The nurse told me you'll be fine, Ash." She spoke softly, not to wake him up. "You gave us quite a scare. Just rest now, and when you wake up, I'll be here."

Feeling her eyelids starting to get heavier, she held Ash's hand in hers and drifted off to sleep.

As Ash slept, he could hear faint sounds coming from the machine he was hooked to, and also the muffled voices of his friends. One voice stood above the rest, however. That voice was garbled beyond recognition, but it sounded worried. Of his current travelling companions, only Serena would be worried like that. Shortly after figuring that out, the medication he had been given kicked back in and he drifted further into sleep.

A few hours later, he stirred from his sleep, not knowing where he was. He could, however, feel his left hand being held by something soft. Not knowing what it was, he struggled to open his eyes, and saw the origin of the soft sensation in his hand. It was being held, oh so very carefully by a girl with honey-colored hair. Ash smiled at Serena, sleeping peacefully beside him, holding his hand. He managed to free his thumb and started rubbing it against the girl's hand, in an attempt to comfort her, to let her know he was okay. But he was still groggy from the medication, so back into dreamland he went.

The sun started peeking though the blinds in Ash's hospital room. Ash himself had woken up about 10 minutes ago, but as Serena was clutched into his hand, he dared not to move. He didn't want to disturb her sleep, and only said a word once she started to stir.

"Hey."

His voice was like it had come from a dream. That's how Serena felt, at least. The medication had worn off, and Ash was healthy again.

"Ash! Are you okay?" Serena questioned.

"I am, but I'll be better once I have my hand back." He joked.

Serena blushed, remembering he had taken his hand hostage during the previous night.

"Actually, I need to do one thing before I can say that I'm okay." Ash noted. He pulled Serena close to him, and kissed her forehead, much to her surprise.

"You spent the night here, to make sure I didn't wake up alone, didn't you?" Ash queried.

"Yes, how did you know?" Serena wondered.

"Because if it were me, I'd do the same exact thing. Thank you." Ash said, sincerity clearly present in his voice.

"You're welcome." Serena smiled.

As the teens stood there, it dawned on them, that whatever the world may bring, they'd still be by each other's side, forever.

 **I tried, I honestly tried to include "and now, my watch is ended" but it felt out of place…**

 **So, what did you think? It was written when I was watching the Portuguese game on the Euro 2016.**


End file.
